Love Is Harder Than You Think
by ChinaDollMaiden
Summary: Sasori and Sakura are siblings, but are both head-over-heels for each other. They can't keep their love a secret forever. Will their love survive, or will it suffer fates worse than death? SASOSAKU. SasoriXSakura. Possible Lemons Later.
1. Love Is Fickle

**Hey, It's China here.**

**I won't be updating quite as frequently, seeing as school starts in 17 days.**

**Goodie.**

**I was gonna start a different SasoSaku story, called Contact, but this idea has been ripping at my brain for the past week, so I really wanted to get it started. But I'll give you the summary for Contact:**

**_The battle between Sasori and Sakura takes a turn for the worse, and Sasori kills Sakura. But what will Sasori do when he finds himself with Sakura's ghost tailing him everywhere he goes?_**

**Oh, and one more thing. I'm sorry for using who I did for the parents, but I wanted both characters to be in the manga, and I wanted one to be on Konoha's side, one to be Akatsuki's side.**

**Squee! This story is my very first AU!**

**Ok, here are the ages for the story.**

**Sakura: 17**

**Sasori: 19**

**Deidara: 19**

**All Other Akatsuki: 20**

**Pein and Tsunade: 38  
**

**Let's get this started!

* * *

**

Sasori sighed in his bed. He tossed and turned, throwing the sheets from his sweat-slicked body in a haste to cool himself. He couldn't keep his mind off that girl. That girl!

She raced through his brain, occupying every inch of his head.

Her eyes sparkled like emeralds in the sun. Her lips tantalized him to the edge of his morals. Her rosy locks forever had that windswept look that most girls would kill for.

In his eyes, she was perfect. Perfect in every way, and he was head over heels for her. There was only one problem...

She was his younger sister.

Akasuna Sasori was in love with his younger sister.

He knew it was wrong. Oh yes, he knew it was wrong in every way possible. But if love was such a wonderful thing, how could it be so wrong?

His heart ached for her. It _beat_ for her. His heart was all for _her_.

But why has god prevented it from being?

He jumped as his alarm went off. He glanced at his clock. Six AM already. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

Sasori swung his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his face in frustration. He stood, stripped, and hopped into the shower.

He was always the first to wake in his house. His father, Pein, second. His mother, Tsunade third. And his sister, Sakura, last.

His shower was short and cold. He doused his near burgundy mop of hair with the freezing water, closing his eyes. His shower was cold, because he was remembering a dream he'd had a few nights ago. A dream of her.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts, and continued to prepare for his day. He stepped out of the shower, and wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed a smaller one for his head.

He began to dress. He picked out a button up long sleeve white shirt, with the top two buttons undone. His pants were simple dark gray, faded and frayed jeans with several holes worn into them. His shoes were a comfortable pair of black converse all stars.

He never bothered with brushing his hair, always liking the way it looked messy better than neat. He did his best to try and hide the dark circled under his eyes, but they stood out easily.

Sasori shoved two pieces of white bread into the toaster and began to cut an apple, but his mind began to wander back to Sakura...

He winced as the blade sliced a small cut into his thumb. Blood dripped onto his apple and Sasori began nursing his cut.

"Ah, Sasori. You're awake first, as always."

Sasori turned to his father. His father was quite the punk. He had countless black piercings all over his handsome face and tangerine hair that stuck up at all angles. His stormy gray eyes were lazy and easy going.

His father was a successful business man, owning two large companies. He worked in the building industries, which included managing the destruction of buildings as well.

His mother walked into the kitchen. She was only a head shorter than her husband, and had long blonde hair in two low pigtails. Her chocolatey eyes matched Sasori's, and there was a small purple diamond tattooed on her forehead. She taught self defense and combat lessons.

"'Mornin..." she grumbled. Tsunade never was a morning person.

Sasori inwardly smiled. Sakura never woke up much later than her mother.

Her attire consisted of a white shirt with neon blue zebra print, and a longsleeve neon blue shirt underneath. She wore black skinny jeans with black and white checkered vans. Her short bubblegum hair was up in a simple side ponytail with two black berets.

"Morning, Sasori-kun. Okaa-san, Otou-san." She greeted her brother with a hug, her parents with a kiss on the cheek. Sasori handed her the apple he cut, eating the blood soaked pieces. She smiled and gratefully accepted.

By the time the siblings were finished, it was half past seven, giving them half an hour to get to school on time. Luckily, it only took them fifteen minutes. They hopped in Sasori's silver Suzuki car and sped away.

* * *

When the two arrived, Sasori was greeted by his best friend, Deidara. He had a long mane of golden hair that covered his left eye. Both his eyes were ocean blue with large pupils. Deidara flashed a grin at Sakura, who grinned back, before turning back to the redhead before him.

Sakura was approached by her closest friend as well. Ino.

She was never very popular. Aside from a few of Sasori's friends like Deidara or Hidan, Ino was the only friend she had.

"Hey, forehead!" a blonde, who looked a bit like Deidara, teased, good natured.

"Hey, pig!" she teased back.

Sakura and Ino. The were two of the best friends the entire school had ever seen. Sure, they teased each other, but what friends didn't? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Soon, Ino linked arms with Sakura.

"So, you still like your brother?" she asked mischieviously. Ino was the only one who knew about her major crush on her older brother.

"Ino! Shuuuuuusshhh!" she yelped, clapping a hand over her friend's mouth. She looked to her right, then her left. She peaked over her shoulder, and confirmed that no one had heard.

"Yes, I do still like him."

Ino squealed happily. Most people would look at you in disgust if you told them you loved your older brother in a very unsisterly way, but Ino thought it was adorable.

"Good. Now come on, let's get to class!" Ino yelled. She and Ino had all their classes together, which is half the reason they are such close friends. The other half is that Karin and Ami, the popular bitches of the school used to bully Sakura, and Ino gave up her popularity to defend Sakura.

Sakura drooled onto her paper. Daydreaming again. She would often imagine her and Sasori, living a life together in a small house on a hillside with a white picket fence, far away from those who apposed their love.

A well placed book snapped down on her desk, effectively removing her from her fantasy. Her teacher, Kakashi, had slammed his perverted book down to get her attention. He was her history teacher.

"Sakura, do you know which piece of territory the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on?" he tested her. Sakura could feel the sweat dripping down the back of her neck as the entire class burnt a hole into her with their stares, except Ino who spared her.

"Uh...no?"

Kakashi smirked and glared.

"Sakura, this is the ninth time you've been daydreaming in my class this week. Detention!"

Sakura merely nodded and hung her head.

She sprung her head back up in horror when she felt a hand on her rear. She spun around in her seat and saw a smirking Sasuke, leaning backwards in his chair. He winked at her in a way he thought was sexy. She frowned deeper, turning back to the lesson. She began taking notes, but her pen froze when Sasuke's breath tickled her ears from behind.

"You know you want me, Sa-ku-ra-_chan_."

Sakura shuddered in utter disgust, and rose from her seat milliseconds before the bell rang.

* * *

After class, Deidara rushed to catch up with Sasori,

"Sasori!" he called. "Wait up, yeah!"

Sasori turned, almost in slow motion. When Deidara finally caught up, he bent over, panting for air. Sasori looked up at the sound of stomping. He saw his baby sister, face an angry red and steam coming from her ears. Deidara looked up at Sasori's face, which was filled with too many different emotions. Love, adoration, desire...sorrow.

It pained Deidara to see him this way. He was the only one who knew that Sasori loved his sister the way he did. He refused to tell anyone else.

"So. You still love her, un." Deidara confirmed. Sasori could only stare after her. Deidara shoved him in her direction. "Go see what's wrong, un. I'll wait here."

Sasori followed the path of terrified teenagers until he found Sakura.

"Sakura." he announced his presence. Sakura whipped her head around to face him.

"What!"

When Sakura was angry, her mannerism would become increasingly violent, and her voice was noticeably deeper, more guttural.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"Stupid Uchiha. He copped a feel during my history class."

Sasori stiffened. Sasuke felt up on _his_ Sakura? No way in hell!

"-ori-kun!" Sasori was snapped from his thoughts, realizing that Sakura had been trying to get his attention.

"Yes, Sakura?"

Sakura threw him a suspicious look, but shrugged it off.

"Never mind. See you after school, Sasori-kun!" she ran off, blushing heavily and clutching her books to her chest. She rushed into her detention room, and checked to see if the teacher was there yet. She wasn't. Sakura rushed to the corner of the room, and buried her face in her knees and let the tears flow.

_'Why? Why did it have to be this way?'_

She pulled out her notepad and a pen. She drew a large heart, and drew an arrow through it. She wrote the names.

_Sasori + Sakura_

She heard high heeled footsteps echo through the empty halls, and she stashed her drawing away from the teacher's view and soon fell asleep.

* * *

**Yes, it was short, but don't worry. The next will be longer.**

**I'm sorry if it seems rushed, by the way. The plot I mean. If you think I'm going too fast with the story, just let me know.**

**Thanks, babes.**

**~China**


	2. Love Is A Battlefield

**Ok, I know I updated a bit soon, but I really enjoy writing this! It's such a sad story!**

**I already planned out how it's gonna end and everything!**

**So here's a little update on my life: My mom suddenly hates me. She thinks I'm a stupid blonde and a slut who can't keep her mouth shut. Direct quote. My sister is on her side. My dad isn't as bad, but he thinks I'm just stupid. My stepmom thinks I'm a lazy fatass, and my two little siblings despise me.**

**And I only had one friend in school. Keyword HAD. She left for another school in Montana.**

**So other than you guys, my grandmother and great grandmother are the only ones I can talk to.**

**Anyways, these are just some really tough times for me.**

**So cut me a little slack.**

**Let's get chapter 2 on the road!

* * *

**

When Sakura exited the detention room, Ino was already waiting for her outside, and grabbed her upper arm. She dragged Sakura halfway across the school to the cafteria, then sat her down across the table from herself.

"Ok, forehead." she whispered. "I've got a plan-"

"A plan for what?" Sakura interjected. Ino slammed down a cup of pudding.

"A plan to get you with your brother, that's what!" Ino smirked as Sakura's face turned a fire-engine red and she hunched over to hide it.

"B-but Ino-"

"NO BUTS!" Her blonde friend screamed. "Now, I have two different plans. Plan A: Ask his friends if he has any love interests, and who. Plan B: Find you a willing boy to pretend to be your boyfriend to make Sasori jealous."

"Well, Plan B sounds a bit more-Ino, I don't know about this..." Sakura whined skeptically. Ino sighed in defeat.

"Alright, Sakura. I'm going to be patient with you. I'll give you till tomorrow to decide." Ino closed her powder blue eyes in annoyance. "And I thought you'd jump at the chance."

The two friends ate the rest of their lunch in silence. When the day was over, Sakura headed home, deep in thought.

She opened the door in a haste to get out of the sun. School had just started again, but the smoldering heat yet remained. Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of Chamomile Tea, and her father was at work. She then decided a little white lie couldn't hurt...right?

Her mother gave excellent advice. Sakura didn't want her mother to know that she loved Sasori more than a brother, so she could just say a friend was in this situation.

Sakura paced back and forth, hoping to get her mother's attention without speaking.

"Sakura, what's bothering you?"

Success!

"I'm worried about my friend." Sakura said, hoping she wouldn't see through her lie. "Today she told me she likes her brother."

"You don't mean..." Tsunade's eyes widened.

"As in a lover."

Tsunade pulled out a chair, and gestured for her to sit down. She poured tea into another china cup for Sakura.

"Now, listen carefully to what I say, Sakura. You may want to give her this advice." Sakura nodded eagerly, desperate to hear her words of wisdom.

"Tell her to give up."

* * *

Sasori finished his classes for the day, and headed to the normal hangout place with Deidara. It was an abandoned gas station that they decided to inhabit after classes. There he met with his three other close friends, Hidan, Itachi, and Kisame.

Itachi was a fair skinned, tall handsome man with long raven hair tied into a low ponytail. His eyes were charcoal black, but in the right light, they might seem a deep red. He was a stoic, aloof man.

Hidan was almost the exact opposite of Itachi. He had tan skin, and was a medium height. His hair was silver, almost white, short and slicked back. His eyes were a violet magenta that seemed impossible.

If you thought Hidan's eyes were crazy, wait till you see Kisame. He was blue. His skin was a pale shade of blue, and his dark blue hair defied gravity. His eyes were a silvery white color that complimented his skin tone wonderfully. He was a massive man, reaching well over six feet.

Sasori waved in greeting, and grabbed a candy bar from the shelves. This gas station was well stocked, because it was quite recently abandoned. Only a week ago, to be exact.

"So, Itachi. How's that bratty brother of yours, hm?" Deidara asked him. The first day Deidara attended Konoha High, Sasuke managed to insult his hair, his looks, question his, AND his mother's sexual decency, and spill a piping hot coffee on him. All in less than forty five minutes. Since then, the two had been bitter enemies.

"Bratty, as always." Itachi never liked his brother anyways. He dated women and naive girls, used them, and left them to cry and beg for him to come back to them. This thoroughly disgusted Itachi, who believed women should be treated with proper respect.

"Fuck him, man. He's an ass." Hidan had a swearing problem, as you can see...hear.

Sasori chewed on his Heath bar, savoring the sweet toffee and chocolate.

Before long, Sasori realized he'd spent an hour more with his friends than he'd meant to. He snatched his backpack and left with a quick goodbye to his friends.

* * *

"Give up?" Sakura's heart plummeted. Tsunade nodded at her.

"It's a forbidden love. Incest is wrong, and she knows this." Tsunade calmly sipped more tea. "If she continues this, it could ruin her life. Her family and friends will be ashamed."

"But this is about her happiness, not her family's or friends!" Sakura argued.

Tsunade nearly slammed her tea down, but calmed her weary nerves.

"Does her brother even return the feelings?"

Sakura fell silent, and her gaze shifted to the hardwood under her shoes.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Pein stood in the doorway. He removed his coat and hung it on the designated rack.

"No. I was just leaving." Sakura said. She made her way to the pool.

When Sakura's mind was plagued with nagging thoughts, she would swim. Sometimes it was swimming laps, other times it was just floating on her back in the deep end. This time, she opted for swimming laps.

She slipped into her bikini. It was a soft green color with white and brown vertical stripes. The trim was white, and on the front of her bottom piece, and between her built in bra, were small brown bows.

Sakura stepped onto the diving platform. She inhaled deeply, exhaling her warm breath. Inhale, exhale. Inhale...

She dove into the blue tinted water. Time seemed to slow for her, as she surfaced, and in milliseconds, she began stroking forward. Her arms glided into the water gracefully, sending chlorine water spraying. She only brought her head up from the water to breathe, and she did that very little to keep up speed.

Suddenly, a sharp, aching pain pulsed through her left calf. She clutched the skin of it, and stopped swimming.

Cramps. She hadn't gotten those from swimming in years. Once the pain dulled, she experimentally stretched her leg. The cramp returned, but weaker than before. She stretched her muscles a bit more until the cramps were gone, and her leg only strained a bit. She decided to stop swimming laps and just relax.

She flipped over onto her back and glided he hands through the water in long, slow strokes while occasionally kicking her legs. She frowned as a few tears escaped her viridian globes, but were quickly absorbed by raindrops streaking down her cheeks.

_'Give up...Sasori?'

* * *

_

Sasori was glad he brought his black umbrella with him that day, because just minutes after he'd left the hangout, the sky broke out in a violent downpour. Sasori had almost beat the rain before he opened his umbrella, but the damn thing jammed, so he had to soak for a few brief seconds.

His umbrella unfortunately sported a few ragged holes, but did the job sufficiently enough. Rain water dripped from the hem of his collared shirt and dripped down onto his shoes. His mind was once again plagued with thoughts of his sister.

She didn't understand how much she tormented him when she was around other boys. Especially good looking ones.

When she was around the younger Uchiha sibling was another story entirely. Sakura didn't seem to like his company, but that wasn't what irked Sasori. It was the way Sasuke _looked_ at her. With that predatorial glint in his eye and a ravenous smirk stretching across one side of his face. It bothered Sasori_ to no end._

He was snapped out of his thoughts when a girl with long coffee hair soaked with the rain bumped into him. She fell over, revealing the large, ugly purple bruises scattered on her arms and legs, a few framing her face.

Sasori shook his head. He held out his hand to help the fallen girl. She gratefully took it, heaving herself off the concrete. She opened her eyes to reveal a seemingly impossible white-ish lavender.

"I'm sorry." she muttered.

"It's fine. What's your name?" he asked.

"Hanabi. Hanabi Hyuuga."

Ah. The famous Hyuuga family. He should have recognized the trademark eyecolor. The hair was almost always between two different colors: brown and navy. It would seem this girl possessed the brown hair of the lesser known Hyuuga brother, Hizashi.

"Come. Let's get you to my house and clean you up." Sasori said, a bit peeved.

* * *

The two hopped on a bus that led to the block Sasori's house was on. They were a fairly rich family, so they had an enormous five story house. He pulled a keychain with a scorpion charm on it from his pocket and unlocked the door with the attached key. The door creaked open quite noisily, and Sasori lead Hanabi into the dark room.

"Sasori, who's this?"

A deep voice echoed from behind them. Hanabi was calm and collected, but the same couldn't be said for Sasori. He almost always jumped when his father just...appeared behind him.

After recovering his composure, Sasori introduced Hanabi to his parents.

Sakura grabbed a towel from the pool house and was about to step inside the house, when she saw another girl.

Wondering who it was, she ventured closer, and closer until she realized.

Sasori had brought her home.

She wasn't what Sakura would call ugly, with her shiny, thick hair and pearly eyes. She caught the way that the girl looked at Sasori. Almost a mask of non feeling, but behind it, Sakura could see traces of...admiration?

No...no! This couldn't be happening! Not like this!

She felt moisture staining her face again, causing what little shred of hope to be blasted into oblivion. She quickly shook her head, rubbed her eyes and walked into the house. She pretended not to notice Sasori and Hanabi until she was about to head up the stairs.

"Oh, Sasori, who's this?" she feigned curiosity, which thankfully masked the rage burning deep within her.

"Her name is Hanabi. Hanabi, this is my younger sister, Sakura." he said with a slight rosy tinge to his cheeks. Sakura was in her bikini and she waggled her hips a bit dramatically, but not exaggeratedly, when she walked.

"Hello, Hanabi." she said, holding out a dainty hand to shake Hanabi's. Hanabi hesitantly shook her hand, and that's when she noticed the flames in her eyes. If the sparks had been any more intense, you would see them spouting from the two girls.

"Well, Sasori, I'm not going to waste any more of you and Hanabi-_san_'s time." Sakura disguised the hate in her words with cheer, and made her way up the stairs and shut herself in the bathroom.

She felt more tears streaking down her already red cheeks as she took off the bikini that clung to her skin and turned on the water full blast. She let more spill when she stepped in the water, whimpering as she felt the chlorine leaving her hair.

She leaned her back against the tiled wall and slid down to the bottom on the tub. She buried her face in her knees and wept. She stayed that way until the scalding water began beating angry red splotches on her skin.

She picked up her blackberry scented shampoo and lathered it in, indulging in the sweet scent. She massaged her scalp with her fingertips and scratched it with her nails to relieve it from itching. All the time, she was deep in thought about Ino's offer.

What if Sasori _didn't_ like her back? What if he liked that _Hanabi_ girl? What if...

_'No, Sakura! Stop thinking like that!'_ she thought to herself, even though she knew the chances of him returning her love were slim. She just wished that little miss Hanabi was out of the picture. Curse that Hyuuga for being so pretty!

She turned down the temperature all the way so it was almost ice cold, letting it soothe her burning back.

Her thoughts wandered back to Ino's plans. She really shouldn't accept...but that girl downstairs was really testing her...why had Sasori brought her here?

Her mind made an almost audible click as she thought of a possibility.

Maybe, just maybe, Sasori was trying to make her jealous too!

She quickly scrubbed her body and raced back to her room in an extremely large towel. Upon entering, she snatched her cell phone and dove for her bed, dialing the number she called most.

Ring...

Ring...

Ring...

**"Hello?"** a rather nasal voice greeted.

"Ino, it's me, Sakura!"

**"Ah, Sakura. I was hoping you'd call. So what's up?"**

"Ugh. I need to vent."

**"Uh-oh."** Sakura heard Ino's bed creak loudly as she moved to the kitchen, getting a large box of chocolate doughnuts. **"Spill."**

Sakura did the same, grabbing a box of donuts. This was a tradition, a ritual, somewhat, that when one of them needed to vent their anger, they would get a box of doughnuts and talk over the phone. Both girls always made sure to have a box handy.

"Ok, so this is what happened. First, I asked my mom for some advice on this, and-"

**"Sakura, are you nuts! Your mom can't know that you love your brother!"**

"Calm down, I told her it was a friend who needed the advice."

It took a few minutes, but finally, Ino calmed down.

**"Go on."**

"So you wanna know what she told me? She told me to give up! Well, she didn't tell _me_, but it applies to me, dammit!"

**"Psh, your mom wouldn't know true love if it fucked her in the ass."**

"Yes she would, Ino. She fell in love with my dad twenty years ago, and they're still very much in love. You should see them when we're not around. I take that back, you don't want to. Trust me."

**"Anyways, is that all?"**

"No, there's much, _much_ more." she said, which was muffled by a large bite of doughnut. "So when Sasori comes home, he's three _hours_ late."

**"Jeez, where was he?"**

"Probably with his friends. But guess what he comes home with?" Sakura sneered, the disgust clear in her voice.

**"Hold on, lemme see if I can get this one..."** Ino trailed off. Sakura's frown deepened when she heard a distinct gasp from her friend. **"You don't mean..."**

Sakura nodded. "Yep."

**"No!"** Ino cried. She groaned in frustration. **"So what's the bitch's name?"**

"Hanabi. _Hyuuga._"

**"You mean Hinata's little sister?"**

"Yeah. The worst part is, she's actually gorgeous. Much better looking than I am."

**"Sakura, don't you dare think that way, or I will come over and kill something!"**

Sakura giggled a little bit.

"Ino...will you come over? Like, for real?" Sakura begged. "And stay the night?"

**"Lemme check with my mom."**

"Sure, I'll do the same."

Sakura rushed downt he stairs to talk with her parents.

"Mom, Dad, can Ino spend the night tonight?"

Pein immediately nodded, sensing the stress coming off his daughter in waves. Tsunade, on the other hand, was a bit hesitant. She never liked Ino, for unexplained reasons. The two just never got along.

"I don't know, Sakura. It is a little late." She glanced at the clock, which read 9:37.

"Pleeeaaaase!" Sakura begged. She actually got down on her knees and begged. She stretched her viridian eyes to the point of ultimate cuteness. Pein looked, a bit jealous that she was giving her mother that adorable look and not him.

"Alright, fine." she gave in.

Sakura pumped her fist in the air in victory, and hugged her mother. She ran back to her room and put the cell phone back up to her ear.

**"-ura?"** Ino's voice was cut off.

"What did your mom say?"

**"She said yes. Yours?"**

"Yes!"

**"YAY!"**

"Now PACK YOUR SHIT AND GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"

**"Yes ma'am!"

* * *

**

After a half hour, Ino was on their doorstep with a sky blue duffel bag thrown over her shoulder. The two girls hugged excitedly and began to go upstairs.

"Stay up as late as you want, but don't blame me if you wake up late!" Tsunade called over her shoulder. The girls giggled in response, and ran back down the stairs to get junk food. Luckily, they were well stocked in doughnuts, because Ino brought her box over, and Sakura still had a few.

When they got to her room, Sasori was passing by. Ino gave him a 'friendly', strong smack on the back that knocked the air from his lungs. He almost doubled over, gasping for breath.

"Yo, Sasori! What up?"

"H-hello Ino..." his voice was hoarse and strained. Ino inwardly smirked. Sakura's lip twitched in amusement and worry as Sasori struggled to catch his breath. When he regained his composure, Sakura handed him a doughnut of his favorite flavor and a small bag of chips. Just because he brought a girl home didn't mean she couldn't be a nice sister.

After they said their goodbyes to Sasori, even though he was just down the hall, they entered Sakura's enormous room.

Their family was quite rich. The bed was queen sized and in a corner, with white sheets and a pale green bedspread. The pillow cases were white and a long white body pillow was against the wall. The wood of the bed was a deep, alluring mahogany wood.

The carpets were ivory, a few minor, almost unnoticeable stains here and there.

The window frames where a deep colored wood painted black. The curtains had two separate layers. One was a light, white lace with embroidered flowers. The other was a light green, thick curtain that let no sunlight in.

Her walls were a simple pale green that matched her bedspread almost perfectly. They had pictures from previous living places, old friends, and paintings that Sakura finished. Sakura was a gifted painter.

All the wood in her room was mahogany, so any bedside tables, drawers and what not were indeed mahogany. A desk on the far end of the room had Sakura's silver laptop sitting charging on it.

The two most important things are the last. One, was that she had her own bathroom. Two, she had a TV, which came with a DVD player, stereo, surround sound speakers, and multiple game consoles.

Ino emptied her duffel bag, which held mostly DVDs and games. Sakura and Ino enjoyed horror movies, though it made it hard for them to sleep. Luckily, the bed was large enough to share, making it easier.

First they watched The Hills Have Eyes. Sakura and Ino screamed as just after the fat blob man said "It's breakfast time," a man carrying an axe burst through the glass windows. They tensed when the axe-man, supposedly named Pluto, was impaled by the broken handle of a baseball bat. Sakura especialy cringed, clutching her hand when Doug's finger was chopped off.

Just as Doug was about to get his revenge on Pluto for his dismembered finger, The door opened. Both girls screamed and clung to each other.

"Is everything ok? I heard scre-oh."

It was just Sasori, and he stopped talking when he saw what they were watching. Probably the worst horror movie he'd ever seen.

"Well, goodnight, Sakura. Ino."

Ino saw this as an opportunity.

"Wait, Sasori! Why don't you watch a few movies with us?" she suggested. Sakura raised an eyebrow at her friend. Sasori took his time deciding, but eventually sat down beside Sakura.

They popped in another movie, The Last House On The Left. Sakura blushed heavily at the rape scene, a bit uncomfortable to be watching it with her brother in the room. But it soon passed, and Mari was high-speed-swimming away with Krug shooting at her, just barely missing each time.

When Mari got hit in the back with a bullet, Sakura wrapped her arms around Sasori's arm and squeezed hard. Sasori could barely hide how happy it made him.

Soon, Sakura had fallen asleep, face nuzzled into Sasori's arm. Ino had previously moved into the bed, leaving enough room for Sakura. Sasori picked up his sister, making his way to the bed. He lay her down with one arm hanging from the bed and the other draped across her stomach.

He reached up to brush hair from her face. Her chest rose up and down with each teasing breath. Her black and white plaid pajamas fit tightly to her body, showing her every curve. He gulped, his breath hitching. He leaned down to touch his lips to her cheek...

He abruptly pulled away before he could peck her cheek. Ino had shifted in her sleep, startling the redhead. He stared longingly at his little sister, wishing she could be his. He cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb against her lips. They were soft to the touch, warm. They were a stunning shade of red-pink that was close to the color of a sunset, and had a natural gloss to them. He wanted to kiss those lips so badly.

He moved in again, hoping Ino wasn't actually awake and watching his every move. He got closer...closer...

Finally, his lips met her cheek.

His chest was filled with a fluttering feeling that ached blissfully. It hurt, but felt so _good_. He wanted more. He leaned in and kissed her again, and again...

After the fourth kiss, he stopped himself. What was he_ doing_? He shouldn't be doing...whatever this is!

Every time Sasori thought of them being together, his heart crumbled. It could never work out like he wanted it to. Sakura would never love him the same way. Even if she did, their parents surely wouldn't approve, and if they eloped, where would they go?

_'Now, wait a minute, Sasori. You're getting ahead of yourself.'_

He shook his head in a vain attempt to rid his mind of these horrible thoughts. He leaned in once more to kiss her, but this time, somewhere different.

It wasn't on the lips, but it was close. He gave her a soft, tender kiss on the corner of her lips. He stood sadly and walked from the room.

* * *

**Well, that's it for chapter two!**

**By the way, watching The Last House On The Left with your older brother in the room isn't nearly as bad as who I had to watch it with. I had to watch it with my DAD.**

**SO awkward.**

**Anyways, I'm going to be updating Ways To Get Pein Very Mad in just an hour or two. So keep an eye out!**

**And here's a little preview for the next chaper:**

**_Sasori and Sakura's grandmother, on their father's side, comes over for a visit, and stays for a few days. Will she notice the way Sasori looks at Sakura, or will she be just as clueless as their parents?_**

**Ok, so that wasn't really a preview. But more of a head's up.**

**Well, I'm gonna start finishing up the final chapter of Ways To Get Pein Very Mad.**

**See ya!**

**~China**


	3. Love is Devotion

**Ok, I'm back. I went to a camping site for a night with my class, and It was so much fun.**

**So we drove for about an hour, then we got all our stuff in our rooms. The we did some group activities.**

**First, we did this thing where we had to walk on a rope that was about four feet in the air. I never cried so hard in my life. We went up in groups of three, and the guy that I like, and then my best friend were in mine. The guy I like had to hold my waist, and I was so damn happy. But scared pissless.**

**Then, we climbed a ladder. It was a strange type of ladder. The sides were rope, but the steps were wood. One end was tied near the bottom of one tree, and the other end more towards the middle in a different tree. It flipped over a lot when you climbed it, so people holding a tarp would stand under you. Not as scary as the rope walking.**

**Next, we all went canoeing. My arms got SO tired. And the person in the back was just sitting there, not even paddling. Jackass.**

**After that, we went on this trapeze thing. We would climb to the top of a step ladder, and people would prepare to catch you if you fell. You would jump and grab onto the trapeze bar. It was optional, and I didn't do it.**

**After that it was dinner time. We had delicious cheeseburgers that my gym teacher cooked on the grill. We were then given an hour and a half to hang out, socialize, and relax.**

**After our relaxation ended, we all gathered and went to a mini golf course/arcade. I got a milkshake that made my stomach I helped a girl get her grandfather's cell phone back, which was stolen. Some bald, fat creeper with a greasy face had found it and claimed it as his own. So I literally punched that guy in the face and got the phone back. Everyone in the place applauded, even my teacher-chaperones.**

**Then we went back to the lodge, played ghost in the graveyard, ate s'mores and went to sleep. I just got back a few hours ago. (11:00 AM, 9-13-09)**

**Well, as you know, last time I gave you a kinda-sorta preview. Their grandmother, on Pein's side of the family, is staying over for a few days, maybe even a week.**

**If any of you guessed right, you'd know it was Chiyo.**

**Time to begin!

* * *

**

"Sasori, Sakura, come downstairs please." Tsunade bellowed. The command was met with stomps of hurried feet. Soon, the siblings found themselves standing before their mother.

Pein stood nearby, preparing tea. Something was _definitely_ up.

"Mom, what's going on...?" Sakura asked suspiciously. Her father never made tea unless they were having unexpected guests. Tsunade sighed in defeat, her shoulders drooping.

"Your grandmother is visiting for a few days." she groaned. "Today."

The two teenagers just stood idly by, waiting for their brains to comprehend the information they had been given. When it finally sunk in, Sakura was the first to freak out.

"B-but the house is a mess!" she stuttered, pulling at her hair. A few strands were ripped from her scalp and were wedged between her fingers. Sasori hung his head. He liked his grandmother, but she always babied and spoiled him.

Out of the two, Grandmother Chiyo liked Sakura better. But she still loved Sasori just as fiercely.

Tsunade assigned cleaning jobs to each person, and they set straight to work. Sasori was vacuuming, Sakura was mopping, Pein was sweeping, and Tsunade took the task of dusting and washing any dishes in the sink.

After they were almost finished, they froze in fear when the doorbell rang. They all began to argue over who would answer the door, finally giving poor Pein the job. He creeped over to the large white door and gripped the doorknob.

He yanked it open, and there stood their grandmother. Most of her dark gray hair was in a high bun, and the rest hung loosely at her shoulders. She wore a plain black and white blouse with a black skirt that reached her mid-calf.

"H-hello, mother..." Pein said, forcing a smile. He stepped aside to let her inside, and she turned straight for Sakura.

"Grandmother Chiyo!" Sakura squealed, hugging the old woman. Chiyo's dark facial expression lightened, turning to one of happiness.

They could always count on Sakura to butter her up.

"My, Sakura, how you've grown!" she gushed. She pinched the younger girl's cheeks lovingly, and Sakura feigned an adorable giggle. Chiyo turned to Sasori, who was now much taller than her, and motioned for him to lean to her level. He did as he was 'told', and immediately regretted it when she snatched his ear and yanked his head even lower.

"So, my dear grandson, how are those so-called friends of yours?" she hissed into his ear. She _really_ didn't like his friends. Before he could answer, the doorbell rang once again. Pein opened it once again. When everyone had their attention on the person, most of them recognized the figure as Hanabi.

"Ah, Hanabi-san. What are you doing here?"

Sakura tensed at the name Hanabi.

_'Why the fuck is that Hyuuga bitch here!'_ she thought to herself. _'Trying to steal MY Sasori again, huh? I don't think so!'_

"Hanabi, what a..._pleasant_ surprise." Sakura said, stressing the word pleasant.

"Sakura. The feeling's mutual." Hanabi said unemotionally. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Chiyo broke the silence with a sputtering cough.

"If I may ask...who are you, young lady?" she questioned with a disapproving glance.

"Forgive me. My name is Hanabi Hyuuga." she announced, bowing politely to the elderly woman.

"Such brilliant manners. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hanabi-san." she said, bowing in return. "My name is Chiyo Akasuna, but call me Grandmother Chiyo."

"If you insist, Grandmother Chiyo."

Sakura had inched herself to the large staircase, and sprinted up to her room and snatched up her cell phone, dialing Ino's number.

Ring.

Ring.

**"Sakura?"**

"Ino, thank god! It's that Hanabi, she's back again!"

**"What! That bitch better not be movin' in on _your_ man!"**

"My thoughts exactly!" she sighed. "And to top it all off, my grandmother _likes_ her!"

**"Your grandmother's there?"**

"Yeah. But that's not the point!" Sakura nearly shouted, but lowered her voice to a dull whisper before her parents could hear. "I've seen Hanabi look at Sasori. It's obvious that she likes him. What am I gonna do, Ino!"

**"Calm down!"** Ino yelled from the other line. **"We'll just have to go with my plan."** she said deviously.

"B-but-"

**"No buts! We're going with the plan and that's final!"**

"B-but Ino, I'm still not sure if he likes me back...he probably doesn't..."

**"Don't think that way, Sakura!"**

It took a few minutes of serious persuasion, but Sakura finally gave in.

"Fine."

**"Yes! Ok, so first, we have to tease him a little."**

"What?"

**"You know, throw down some subtle body language!"**

"Woah, no way am I doing that!"

**"****Jeez, Sakura. Such a prude."**

"And proud."

**"But please! All you have to do is...oh, I don't know, sway your hips when you walk, give cute little pouts, play with your hair..."**

"Oh, I thought you meant, like, giving him a massage or something."

**"Hell no. That comes later. After we go through Phase One, we proceed to Phase Two."**

"Which would be...?"

**"Getting you a boyfriend."**

"B-but Ino-"

**"A fake one, of course! I'd say either someone he's good friends with, or someone he strongly dislikes would work best."**

"I'm going to go ahead and trust you Ino. But if you ruin my life, I won't forgive you."

**"Trust me, I won't."

* * *

**

The next day, Ino met Sakura at school at half past five, much, _much_ earlier than even the janitors get there. They could have their privacy then.

"Sakura, you have last year's yearbook?"

"Affirmative, Ino."

"Good. Now let's look for your fake boy toy!"

"Please don't say that. You make it sound worse than it is."

They put the book down on a table and flipped through Sasori's grade.

"Hidan, no. Itachi, nooo. Tobi...hell to the no. Kisame, weird. Kakuzu's nasty." Ino said, trailing off.

"What about Deidara?" Sakura put in hopefully.

"No, it would be too weird for you to be dating my cousin."

"Oh...wait, you guys are cousins?"

"Yeah, you didn't know?"

"Uh, obviously not, Ino!" Sakura yelled. Ino slapped both hands over her mouth.

"Sakura, SHHH!" Ino said, pointing to a car that had just pulled in. It was Orochimaru, the biology teacher, and his friend Kabuto, the science teacher. "They'll see us! You know we're not supposed to be here this early!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sakura said, prying Ino's hands from her face. "Whatever."

"Ok, so forget Sasori's grade. How about ours?" she said, flipping a few pages back.

"Hmm...how about Naruto?"

"Taken by Hinata."

"Ah...then, Sai?"

"Taken by YOU, Ino."

"Oh, right...hehe. Shikamaru?"

"Never in school. I don't understand how he gets such good grades when he never even shows up."

"Kiba?"

"Ew, no." Sakura said, grimacing.

"And why not?" Ino said, seriously peeved.

"He picks his nose."

Ino made a face of disgust, and went on with the list. They eliminated many people, such as Shino for his love of bugs, Chouji because he so obviously had the hots for Ino, Kankurou because he was a yankee, and Neji because he was a pompous stuck up nerd. And Lee...he was just weird.

"Ok, fine. How about Gaara?" Ino suggested.

"Hmmm...actually, he's a possibility."

Ino threw up her hands, rejoicing. "Finally!" she screamed, ignoring the fact that Orochimaru was nearby. "But we need a back up or two."

"Agreed."

They flipped through pages, looking in each grade, and avoiding one picture. They found no other likely candidates.

"Looks like the only other one is..."

"No, please no!"

"Sasuke."

"No way in hell and I even _pretending_ to date that ass!" Sakura screeched.

"But Sakura, what about Sasori?"

Sakura was torn. Pretend to date an ass to get the man of your dreams-who just happened to be your older brother-, or save your dignity and attempt to win him on your own?

Hell, she couldn't do this on her own!

"...alright."

"Good." Ino said smugly.

"BUT. We have to try Gaara first."

"Agreed." Ino said, nodding.

* * *

Soon, it was eight, and students were filing in through the large school gates. Sasuke passed with a smirk at the two girls, who shuddered. Sasuke had once deceived Ino, winning her heart, and then cruelly dumped her for Ami. Another reason Ino hated Ami.

Soon, Gaara showed up with his siblings, Kankurou and Temari. Temari was almost like a bodyguard of theirs. She would protect the two girls she was most fond of from bullies and jackasses.

"Temari-nee!" Sakura shouted, giving the older girl a bear-hug.

"Sakura-chan!" she returned to hug with maximum enthusiasm. Ino broke the touching moment with a clearing of the throat.

"Temari-nee, I was wodnering if we could have a word, in private, with your brother."

"Who, Kankurou?"

"No no no," Sakura said, shaking her head. "Gaara."

The redheaded boy raised his head at his name being mentioned, and Temari nodded, grinning as the two girls dragged the silent boy away, who wasn't really struggling in the first place. They finally stopped behind a wall, so no one could hear them.

"Gaara," Sakura started. "Can you do us a tiny favor?" Sakura shook her head. "Ok, maybe a big favor."

"What?" he said, his voice deep and mysterious.

"U-um...well, can you...uh..." Ino saved her the embarrassment by asking him for her.

"Can you pretend to be Sakura's boyfriend for a little while?"

Gaara just stared in utter confusion at the two girls.

"Why pretend?" he muttered.

"Because Sakura is trying to make someone jealous." Ino said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"...I see. And might I ask, who?"

Sakura blushed a deep red, and turned her head to hide it. But Gaara noticed it. He also noticed that Sasori had pulled in with his silver Volvo. As soon as the Akasuna brother opened his car door, he slammed it shut and made his way over to Sakura.

"Where were you?" he said. "We were all really worried about you!" he said again, words jumbled.

"U-uh...Sasori-kun, I left a note-"

"Yeah, _sure_ you did." he said disbelievingly. "Mom threw a fit when she couldn't find you."

He turned his head and finally noticed Gaara. He gave a polite nod.

"Gaara."

"Sasori."

The two redheaded teenagers greeted each other with the same bored expression, except Sasori's had a hint of anger from his arguement. They were on speaking terms, at least, but were by no means close. Sasori shot a glare at his sister, which he inwardly regretted.

"Just don't do it again." And with that, he stalked off to find Deidara.

Sakura let out a breath of relief, and looked on as her brother stomped away. She blushed a bit, then turned back to Gaara.

"Now I see." he said, eyeing her with interest. Sakura and Ino froze with fear in their eyes.

"Wh-whadya mean, Gaara?" Sakura said innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me, Sakura," he growled with a smug look on his face. "It's quite obvious you have feelings for your brother."

Sakura blushed beet red, and passed out on the pavement. Gaara and Ino slapped their foreheads, and together, they carried the girl to the nurse.

When the two arrived at the nurse's office, the girl at the desk took one look at Sakura, and stood up, thrusting her chair back and prepared a small bed for Sakura. Ino made her way to algebra class, and Gaara was excused from his first period class, which was his least favorite: english.

* * *

After almost an hour, Sakura's eyes fluttered open. Gaara looked from the window to her. She quickly sat up, and flopped back down went she felt a distinct feeling of vertigo. She clutched her head in pain, and Gaara shook his head.

"You shouldn't sit up so quickly." he advised. She nodded, and closed her eyes.

"So?"

Gaara stared at her.

"What?"

"Will you do it?"

"Do what?"

Sakura rolled her eyes, blushing a bit.

"You know...pretend to-"

"No." Gaara said, remembering her strange request.

"Wh-why not?" She said, with a sad look in her eyes.

Gaara smirked. "I have a girlfriend."

Sakura looked at him like he grew another head. She should have known! She always saw that Matsuri girl hang out with him. It must be Matsuri.

"O-oh. Sorry, then."

* * *

Later, after third period class, Sakura met Ino in front of the gymnasium. Ino high fived her and made sure she was 'ay-okay', before they proceeded into the locker room and changed. Ino and Sakura were going to try out for the Varsity volleyball team. They wore skin-tight black shorts that came barely two inches below their rear, knee length white socks, good sneakers, knee pads, and simple white tank tops. If they made the team, they would get official team jerseys later.

Surprisingly, Temari was the assistant judge for the try-outs. The other judges were Kurenai, the coach of Varsity, and Shizune, the coach of JV. **(A/N: For those of you who didn't know, JV stands for Junior Varsity.)**

"So Ino. Gaara has a girlfriend." Sakura said casually, as if it were nothing.

"What! Since when!" Ino exclaimed while slipping on her plain white knee pads.

"I don't know. He told me today he had one. It has GOT to be Matsuri!"

"They DO make a cute couple..." Ino said. Then she whacked Sakura in the head. "Forget that, focus on the try-outs!"

* * *

_"Sakura." Sasori said, turning to his thirteen-year-old sister, who was watching a volleyball tournament intently on the television._

_"Yeah, Sasori-kun?" she said, not turning away from her precious game. She was watching her favorite volleyball idol, Logan Tom, play against Kerri Walsh._

_"You really like volleyball, don't you?"_

_"Yes! It's amazing!" Sakura grinned. Logan Tom then proceeded to amaze Sakura further by performing an amazing Jumping Serve, in which she threw the ball over 10 feet in the air and jumped, the loud smack of her hand on the ball echoed through the room._

_"Wow!" Sakura said, tugging on his sleeve. "Wasn't that amazing?" _

_"Yes, it was." Sasori agreed._

_"I wanna be able to do that!" she exclaimed when another player successfully dove for the ball. The crowd cheered wildly as Sakura's favorite team won the tournament._

_"Yes! They won!" she yelled, jumping off the couch and thrusting a fist in the air. Sasori chuckled._

_"Sakura, if you really want to be able to do that, maybe you should ask someone to teach you." he said. "Maybe your P.E. teacher."_

_"Sasori, that's a brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that?" she cheered, clenching her fists, all worked up now. Sasori looked at her with a bit of admiration for her determination._

_"...Sakura?"_

_"Yes, Sasori-kun?"_

_He ruffled her hair, feeling the soft locks between his fingers._

_"Make me proud."

* * *

_

Sakura was snapped from her trance when Ino was frantically waving her hands in front of her face, trying to tell her they were about to begin. Sakura yelped, and frantically pieced together her outfit and dressed.

The two girls walked out and stood in line with the other girls.

"Ok, ladies." Kurenai's soft, yet powerful voice boomed through the gymnasium. "Show me what you got. Let's start with serving."

Shizune stepped up next to Kurenai.

"Please demonstrate an underhand serve. Miss...Karin, you're up first."

Karin, Sasuke's former slut, stepped up and Temari handed her a ball. Karin focused intensely, and swung her fist with all her might. She had good aim, but lacked in power, and the ball hit the net.

Soon it was Ami, Tenten, and a few other girls. Ino hit the ball wonderfully, sending it soaring over the net. Temari gave her a proud thumbs up, and Sakura was the last. She also sent it flying, and they moved on to standing serves.

Ino aced the standing serve as well, and Sakura just barely made it. It almost didn't make it high enough, and grazed the top of the net. But it was passable.

Finally, it was the jumping serve. One Sakura had loved since she was a child.

Karin failed miserably, along with Ami. Tenten passed with flying colors, as did most of the other girls. Ino held the ball carefully, tossed it a few feet in the air, then jumped, poking her rear out a bit, and she passed.

Up last was Sakura. This would determine her volleyball fate.

Sakura held the ball. She bounced it a few times on the ground, and brought it back up. She tossed it a few feet, just as Ino had, and smacked it. The hit was loud and hard...

But the ball only made it a few feet from her position.

Ino gasped, and Temari held her hands in front of her mouth. Sakura looked at the ground in disbelief.

Shizune cleared the silence with her voice.

"We have the results."

* * *

Sasori was cutting up the carrots for the soup that night, but was a bit distracted and cut his finger.

Sakura had try-outs today, and he was anxious for her. Volleyball was one of the most important things to her, and it would break her heart if she didn't make the team.

Tsunade was chopping away at the potatoes, and Pein was keeping an eye on the food items that were already cooking. He cursed as he burned himself on the hot golden broth, and ran it under cold water. Just then, Sakura opened the door. Sasori's gaze snapped over to her, expecting to see a beaming face.

There was no beaming face.

"...Sakura?"

Her parents looked over to her, but she held her gaze to the ground and dropped her sports bag.

"How did try-outs go...?" Tsunade said, hopeful. Sakura suddenly ran up the stairs into her room, and they heard the door slam. "That bad...huh?"

Sasori abandoned his carrots and went to see his sister. When he reached the door, he heard no sobs. He heard no whimpers.

Only silence.

He slowly opened the door.

Sakura was laying on her bed, face down and her arms wrapped around the pillow. Her shoulders gave off the slightest shuddering motion. She was definitely crying.

"Sakura..."

She gave no response. Just more shudders.

"...I take it you didn't make the team."

She shook her head. "I m-made JV."

"Then what are you crying about?" he said, stroking her back.

"I-I really wanted to make Varsity! A-and Ino made Varsity, too!" she sobbed loudly.

"It's alright, Sakura." Sasori said. And Sakura flung herself into his arms, crying. He held her close, and she buried her face into his chest. He smelt oddly, but pleasantly, of wood, and she smelt of lillies.

"Shhhh..." Sasori soothed.

And he stayed with her for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next morning, Sakura woke to her phone ringing. She picked it up, and groggily answered. it was half past eleven.

"Nnhhh...Ino?"

**"Sakura! It's so awesome, you'll never believe it!"**

"What...?"

**"The coaches are giving you a second chance at making Varsity!"**

"Wh-what!"

**"But you only have a week to improve, or you stay on JV! Meet me at the school in half an hour!"** And with that, Ino hung up.

Sakura shot out of bed, throwing her blanket off of her. She dressed herself in her practicing outfit, and ran out her bedroom door and down the stairs. it was a Saturday, so Sasori was still at home.

"Practicing already?" he wondered.

"I got another chance!" she called over her shoulder, and sprinted out the door in the direction of school.

"...what?" he said.

When she reached the school, Ino and Temari were waiting.

"C'mon, Sakura. Let's go practice!"

Sakura nodded.

_'I will make you proud, Sasori.'

* * *

_

**Well, that's it for chapter three. I hope you liked it!**

**I'll be updating some of my other stories pretty soon, so keep an eye out!**

**Including 'Biting Off More Than She Can Chew'!**

**Also...should I add lemons in this story?**

**Reviews are appreciated!**

**PEACE OUT!**

**~China**


End file.
